Quaich In Your Boots?

Aye, the Scots like words ending in ch. Makes for a very throaty sentence if you can string a few of them together… how about “I went to the loch and drank my Bruichladdich out of my Quaich”?!

I’m sure you got that, but just in case, in the interests of clarity, here’s the translation: “I went to the lake and drank my whisky from Bruichladdich Distillery out of my shallow two-handled traditional cup”.

That said, I’ve never actually seen anyone drink out of a Quaich. I’ve seen them given as gifts, or presented ceremoniously (yet disappointingly emptily) as prizes, but never used for their traditional purpose. Perhaps I hang out in the wrong circles.

As with many fine Scottish traditions, the Quaich’s history starts in the Highlands, home to many Scottish clans. It was used to offer guests a welcoming dram, and again to wish them well on their departure. Any excuse for a drink, methinks!

The vessel was originally carved out of wood, with silver and pewter versions appearing in the seventeenth century. This change in manufacturing material was the result of the Quaich becoming popular among the fashionable city folk in Edinburgh and Glasgow. In its new hoity-toity version, the Quaich was even good enough for King James VI to present to Anne of Denmark to mark their wedding day.